1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lever-type connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,159 discloses a conventional lever-type connector with male and female housings that are connectable with each other. The male housing has projecting cam followers. The female housing has a housing main body and a cover (omitted in U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,159). A lever is mounted rotatably on an outer surface of the housing main body, and pressable portions are formed on the outer surface. Terminal fittings connected to ends of wires are accommodated in the housing main body, and the wires are drawn out to the outside through the rear surface of the housing main body. The drawn-out wires are bent in a direction intersecting with a connecting direction by the cover.
The lever has an operable portion and two arms projecting from the opposite ends of the operable portion to define a U-shape. The lever is mounted to straddle the cover. Each arm has a cam groove and a pressing portion. The lever is rotatable between an initial position where the operable portion is distant from the rear surface of the cover and a connection position where the operable portion is near the rear surface of the cover.
The two housings are fit lightly with the lever at the initial position so that the cam followers enter entrances of the cam grooves. The lever then is rotated toward the connection position. As a result, the cam followers slide on groove surfaces of the cam grooves to display a cam action that enables the two housings to be connected with a small connection force. The pressing portions press the pressable portions at a final stage of the connecting process if the housings are in inclined connection postures during the process of connecting the two housings, thereby eliminating a clearance between connection surfaces of the housings. As a result, the connection postures of the two housings are corrected.
A connection force resulting from resistance while connecting the two housings of the conventional lever-type connector gradually increases as a connection depth of the two housings increases, as shown in FIG. 10(c), and reaches a peak P3 when the lever is rotated halfway. The connection force then gradually decreases and reaches a peak P5. However, if the connection postures of the housings are inclined, a posture correction peak P4 resulting from the pressing of the pressable portions by the pressing portions is present before the locking peak P5. Thus, an operator might mistakenly perceive the posture correction peak P4 as the locking peak P5 and end a connecting operation of the two housings halfway. Such an erroneous connection of the two housings is likely to occur in a situation where the connecting operation of the two housings has to be performed in a blind manner.
The present invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to prevent erroneous connection of housings.